Asking Alice
by A Scarlet Rebel
Summary: Frank Longbottom is trying to ask Alice to Hogsmeade, but he needs A LOT of help. And poor Frank might just end up messing up his chances with Alice.... ONESHOT.


_Author's note: _I had this desire to write a Frank/Alice story, but I wanted it to be short and sweet, so here you have it!

Frank/Alice oneshot.

By the way, I wasn't sure what Alice's maiden name was, so I just came up with one.

-Scars

* * *

Asking Alice

Frank Longbottom rubbed his sweaty palms together. Today would be the day. The day he finally asked Alice Scott to Hogsmeade.

But, that would be kind of hard, because the very idea of Alice, with her beautiful brown, long hair, and her gentle but sharp black eyes that seemed to cut into him, made him feel so nervous, he felt like throwing up. But, he forced himself to pull it together and FINALLY ask her.

He made his way across the common room. There she sat, laughing with her friends.

Frank felt speechless. She just looked so perfect sitting there. Her brown hair trailing down her back, her eyes full of warmth and kindness. Sure, she was a little on the plump side, but the truth was, Frank didn't really mind.

He was _going_ to ask her. He _had_ to ask her. He had been putting this off for far too long.

Or, atleast he _would_ have asked her, if he hadn't chickened out at the last minute.

He ran out of the common room faster than you could say his name.

What was he thinking? He couldn't ask Alice Scott, _the_ Alice Scott to go with him to Hogsmeade! She'd _surely_ say no….

As he was making his escape, outside of the common room, Frank ran into none other than Sirius Black, James Potter and Remus Lupin.

When he attempted to side-step passed them, Sirius and James blocked his every escape route.

"Whoa there, Frankie!" James teased. "What's the hurry?"

"Yeah," said Sirius, jumping in, "and why do you look so green?"

Frank swallowed, just noticing how sick to his stomach he _really_ felt.

"I can't do it!" he screamed without an explanation. "I can't… I'm going to throw up… she'll say no… everyone will laugh… I JUST CAN'T DO IT!"

Remus suddenly grabbed both of his shoulders and shook him violently.

"Get a grip, man!" he yelled. "Now, calm down," he took a deep breath signaling for Frank to do the same, "and tell us what it is that you can't do?"

Frank took several deep breaths, calming his upset stomach. After he controlled himself enough to talk without yelling, he slowly forced his mouth to say, "Well… today, I was _going _to… to, um… to--"

"Spit it out, man!" Sirius shouted, hitting him on the back for extra emphasis.

Frank looked up at them timidly and muttered something that sounded like, "I wash coin too as a grill to hosfeet."

"What?" James asked, completely confused. "You're going to wash a coin with hog's feet? How does that make sense?"

Sirius tilted his head to the side. "I heard something about wishing on a grill with a marching…."

"No!" Frank said, feeling aggravated and sick again. "I said I was going to ask a girl to Hogsmeade!" He suddenly wished he hadn't said that so loud.

The three Marauders shared a smirk as Frank blushed a deep crimson. He felt like hitting his head against a wall.

"So…," James began, "who _is_ this lucky girl you're going to ask to Hogsmeade?" He wagged his eyebrows several times.

"Oh, come on!" Sirius wailed at Frank hesitation to tell them. "You can trust _us_, Frankie."

Frank took another deep breath before he mumbled, "Alice Scott."

"What was that?" James said, cocking an ear to the side to face Frank. "I couldn't seem to catch that, mate. You're going to have to speak up."

"Alice Scott…."

"Huh?" Now it was Sirius's turn to tease. "We can't hear you…."

"Alice Scott, ok?! ALICE SCOTT! I was going to ask ALICE SCOTT to go to Hogsmeade with me!"

He took several deep breaths, refilling his lungs with air after yelling so much, feeling like a madman.

James smirked at him again, while Remus just stood there, staring at Frank in disbelief at the little show he just put on, and Sirius, being Sirius, was snickering behind his hand.

"What?" Frank asked hotly, turning to Sirius.

Sirius shared a wordless glance with James, then said, "Nothing, nothing at all. It's just that…." He glanced at James again, who smiled.

"FRANK LIKES A GIRL!" They both broke into song. "FRANK LIKES A GIRL!!"

Frank just stood there staring at the two of them laughing, blushing even more than before.

"Hey! I thought you were going to help me!"

James, wiping a tear of laughter from his face, said, "Right, mate, sorry about that."

He help Sirius up from where he had collapsed on the floor with laughter.

Remus rolled his eyes at his two best friends, turned to Frank and said, "Please ignore those two. They like to mock others."

Once Sirius was up on his feet again, he turned toward Frank in a business like matter and said, "So, how are you going to ask out Alice?"

Frank shook his head. "I said I was _going_ to ask her."

Remus scrunched his eyebrows together. "What are you not going to ask her anymore?"

"Because," Frank began, sighing, "I…I can't do it! What if she says no?"

James suddenly walked up to Frank, putting an arm around his shoulder.

"Listen mate," he said, beginning to walk with Frank, Remus and Sirius close behind, "the thing about women is not giving up. She says no, wait a while. She might have had a change in heart. Then, you ask again. And the process repeats until she says yes, until she gets married, or until you die. Whichever comes first." He grinned at Frank encouragingly.

"Until I _die?!"_ Frank asked, absolutely terrified. He threw his hands up in surrender. "I give up! Women are just too complicated!"

James kept going. "No, you're going about it all wrong! Eventually, she'll get tired of you asking and say yes! That… or she'll call the authorities…. Hey, wait! Frank, where are you going?"

Frank had started to walk away. "Oh, I think I'm just going to go burry me head in the sand for a few hundred years, or until I die! Whichever comes first!"

The Marauders ran to catch up with him.

James turned to Frank. "Do you know how many times I had to ask Lily if she'd go out with until I got a yes? _Four years, _Frank. Four long, hard years of hostile air and 'No, Potter, I'm not going to go to Hogsmeade with you.'"

Remus nodded. "He's right, you know. You can't just sit back and watch another guy take her to Hogsmeade. You have to ask her yourself, before it's too late."

Sirius punched Frank in the shoulder. "So, what are you going to do when you get back to the common room?"

Frank felt himself nodding. "I'm going to ask Alice out!"

James joined in. "That's right! Now, go!"

Frank looked up: he was in front of the Fat Lady's portrait.

"Password?"

"Snider Lifts," James said from behind him.

He was pushed into the common room by Remus.

Frank looked around, saw Alice again, and stumbled back out of the room.

"Guys, I just have one question."

"What," the three Marauders answered in unison.

"What's my name?"

Remus sighed while Sirius chuckled at Frank's forgetfulness.

"Your name is Frank Longbottom," James answered, pushing him back into the common room. "Now, go!"

"Are you sure that's my name? I mean, what kind of a name is _Frank Longbottom_?"

"Just go!" they shouted, urging him to go in.

Frank was pushed the entire way to where Alice sat by Sirius, who blocked all of his weak attempts to break away.

"Hey Alice!" James said when they were right in front of her, loud enough for her and her friends to hear. "My friend Frank here has something to tell you."

With that said, and Frank to be doomed to tell Alice to go to Hogsmeade with him, the three Marauders left quickly, leaving him stranded in the middle of all of these girls.

He laughed sheepishly and looked at Alice. Her keen black eyes seemed to be slicing his defenses.

"What do you want, Longbottom?" she asked, suspiciously.

"I—I was just wondering… if—if you… uh. I was… going to ask if you have a date to Hogsmeade." But, sadly, Frank said that last part so fast, it sounded more like 'Gonna fat if shoo have a days to Hogsfeet.'

"What?" Alice asked, completely offended. "Do you just call me fat?!"

Frank blushed and attempted to pick up the mess he just made. "No! I, I would NEVER… Alice, I was just going to… I-I--"

In the corner of the room, watching them quietly was Sirius, James and Remus. Sirius was gaping at them in disbelief. James was hitting his head against the wall. Remus was cursing under his breath.

"Save it, Frank," she said, getting up. "I don't want to hear it."

She stormed out of the common room, not bothering to turn around once.

Frank turned helplessly toward Sirius, James and Remus, who were all signaling frantically for him to follow Alice.

Getting the hint, he ran out of the common room, yelling after her.

"Alice! Alice, where are you?"

He passed by a classroom, when he heard sobbing from the inside of room. Frank opened the door and looked around.

There, in the corner of the room, was Alice, sitting on the floor, crying.

_Oh no,_ Frank thought. He could NOT stand to see a girl cry. He just couldn't.

But, he still slowly approached the crying Alice steadily.

"Alice?" he said quietly.

"Go away!" she yelled.

Frank jumped back, but still determined to find out what was wrong, he continued to walk forward.

"Alice? What's wrong?"

"I said to go away!"

"Please Alice… tell me what's wrong."

She looked up, angry tears pouring down her cheeks. "You should know! You… you called me fat." She let her head fall into her hands again and continued to cry.

"What?" Frank couldn't believe it: _He_ had caused this. He made Alice Scott cry! "No, Alice, I never meant to call you fat… I-I was trying to ask you something."

"What is it?" Alice said angrily, looking at Frank murderously. "What my pants size is so you can make fun of that too?!"

"No! I never meant to make you cry, Alice! I would NEVER make you cry! I-I was just going to ask you if… if-if--"

"If WHAT?"

Frank took a deep breath. There's no turning back now. "If you wanted to go to Hogsmeade with me."

He heard Alice hiccupped from where she was hiding her face. She looked up, eyes full of softness again.

"Really?"

Frank nodded.

Alice smiled a watery smile and said, "It took you long enough!"

She suddenly got up from where she had been sitting and threw her arms around his neck, hugging him tightly.

Frank's brain was completely blank. Here he was, hugging the girl he had been trying to ask out since fourth year. He thought he'd be unable to think for a LONG time. But, slowly, he felt his arms wrapping around her waist, hugging her back.

When Alice pulled away, she looked up at Frank, tears almost all gone, a huge smile on her face.

"I'd _love_ to go with you to Hogsmeade, Frank."

He felt like someone had just clubbed him over the head. He slowly found the strength to smile back and offer to his arm to her. She took it graciously and they walked back to the common room together, talking, exchanging jokes and laughing.

When they climbed back into the portrait-hole, Frank felt like the luckiest guy in the entire world. _Alice Scott _was on his arm.

As they walked together passed the _four_ Marauders, Peter having gotten back from dinner, Frank mouthed 'thank you' at Remus, Sirius, and James.

Peter turned to the other three after the new couple walked away.

"How come _I _always miss something?"

The three looked at each other and chuckled as Peter continued to grumble angrily about not feeling in the loop.

Alice, who had been sitting in a couch with Frank, turned around to look at the Marauders over her shoulder.

"What is up with them?" she asked, confused at Peter's grumbling. "They're just so weird."

"Nah," Frank said, looking at them too. "They're actually not as bad as they seem."

He saw Remus, Sirius and James smile at them in approval before they both turned back around.


End file.
